Facts for Fiction: Tomorrowland: Our Journey from Science Fiction to Science Fact

Normally when I write a Facts for Fiction posts, it's about a nonfiction book with facts or ideas that could be useful for writing science fiction. Tomorrowland: Our Journey from Science Fiction to Science Fact, by Steven Kotler, reverses this by talking about science fiction concepts that are now reality.

This book is a collection of previously published essays about bionic people, mind uploading, terraforming the Everglades, flying cars, genetic engineering, asteroid mining, stem cells, and several other topics. We meet not just the people who created these technologies, but also the people who benefit from them. For example, we meet veterans who receive artificial limbs, a blind man who has his sight restored, and even a terminally ill woman whose passing is eased by Ecstasy and other psychedelic drugs. I find these stories particularly interesting because science fiction isn't just about technology but how people are affected by technology.

For me, some of the most surprising science fiction tropes coming to life include flying cars, asteroid mining, and biohacking of an individual's DNA. What's so surprising about the last one is how quickly the technology to do it has become widespread and affordable.

What science fiction staples do you think are most or least likely to come true? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Facts for Fiction: The Next Species

It's hard enough contemplating one's own mortality, let alone that of the species to which we belong. However, in The Next Species: The Future of Evolution in the Aftermath of Man, Michael Tennesen does just that. After all, we are the only species that keeps a Doomsday Clock, and the hands are only three minutes shy of midnight.

Tennesen starts by looking at previous mass extinctions to examine what caused them. The most famous mass extinction was that of the dinosaurs, which was caused when an asteroid collided with the Earth and raised a giant dust cloud that blocked the sun. However, climate change, such as global warming or cooling, also contributes to extinction, and there are several warning signs already present. Tennesen speculates on our end--and that of other species. However, every end is also a beginning. Quick-growing, "weedy" species often move in to take advantage of cleared niches, but they are gradually replaced by bigger, more specialized species. In time, big animals may return.

Is there no hope for humans? Well, there is the possibility of establishing a colony on Mars as a backup for Earth. Human evolution isn't dead; even if a catastrophe wipes out the vast majority of us, the rest could repopulate and perhaps establish a successor species to Homo sapiens. (There is evidence our species did pass through a genetic bottleneck at one point.) Of course, details about what such a species might look like are best left to the science fiction writers.

Do you think our species is as close to destruction as the Doomsday Clock says, or is there still hope for us and our children? Feel free to discuss in the comments.

Facts for Fiction: The Copernicus Complex

Yesterday I finished reading The Copernicus Complex: Our Cosmic Significance in a Universe of Planets and Probabilities. Long ago, people used to think the Earth was the center of the universe until Copernicus showed the Earth revolved around the sun. These days, it seems obvious that we're just a Johnny-come-lately species stuck on an infinitesimal rock going around an average star in an average solar system...or are we?

This book attempts to help humanity figure out its place in the universe by looking at everything from the formation of solar systems to the beginning of life.  Among other things I learned from this book is that our solar system is unusual compared to others that have been found around other stars, the inner planets of our solar system may not have stable orbits (Mercury could crash into the sun, or Venus into us), and megaviruses may have devolved from other life forms. Altogether, the evidence suggests that we do occupy a special niche in the universe, but our ultimate significance to the universe depends on how much we explore the universe, even if we have to do it by machine instead of in person.

Although this was an interesting book to read, it's not a research book full of information I can use in my own stories. It is useful to step back every now and then to look at the big picture--and you can't get a much bigger picture than this.

Do we dare disturb the universe? Feel free to comment below.

Facts for Fiction: The Knowledge

As much as I love eBooks, I know they will be a little difficult to access if civilization collapses and we lose electricity and the Internet. Therefore, when I heard about the book The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World From Scratch, I decided to order it in hardcover.

Lewis Dartnell, the author, sets out a scenario in which most people have perished but all of our things are undamaged. Although food supplies would rot and buildings eventually collapse, there would be a few decades during which survivors could scavenge supplies before they become unusable. During this time, people would have to learn new skills, such as how to grow crops, raise domestic animals, spin fibers and weave cloth, make soap, work with metal, prepare simple chemicals, and much more. Dartnell obviously can't fit detailed instructions for all of these activities into a single book, but he provides a general overview of the principles involved in, for example, turning wood into charcoal or extracting other useful items from it. (There is an associated website at theknowledge.org, but it didn't load when I checked it. I therefore don't know if it has more detailed instructions.) Along the way, he discusses how the survivors could progress much faster than civilization did the first time around and come up with greener technologies. The book concludes with discussing the most important invention of all: the scientific method.

I personally don't share Dartnell's view of what would happen to our society; I think once climate change ramps up in a couple of decades and the effects become permanent, society will limp on for a while before the whole situation becomes unsustainable. (It's very scary to think I will probably live to see this start to happen--and that my son and any of his children will have to live through even worse developments.) Although Dartnell says domestic farm animals such as horses and cows will be vital for the survivors, he doesn't talk about how to care for them or use them. I also thought it odd that he didn't have a chapter on building shelters. Still, this book could be useful for anyone interested in writing or learning about post-apoclypatic society.

 Finally, if you want to survive in this new world, here are a few tips I gleamed from the book:

--Stock up on heirloom seeds (both vegetables and cereals), so you can start growing food right away.
--Move out of the cities and into the country. However, feel free to recycle what you can from the city.
--If you are stuck in a city, a typical supermarket would have enough food to feed a single person for about 50 years if the inventory is managed carefully.
--Plastic water bottles can be used to purify water; you put them against a dark background and put them in the sun for several hours to kill germs.
--Stay fit; you'll be providing a lot of the muscle in a world without power.
--Keep clean; when modern medicines are lost, simple cuts can lead to lethal infections.
--Keep track of the calendar so you can plant and harvest at the right time.
--When possible, raid libraries for books and knowledge. Also take spinning wheels, looms, and other old technology from museums when possible.

Facts for Fiction: The Future of the Mind

It's been a long time since I posted a Facts for Fiction article. (In fact, I think this is only the second time I used it.) However, even though I read a fair amount of non-fiction, I haven't come across any books I wanted to discuss until recently, when I read Michio Kaku's The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind.

Kaku's book is divided into three main sections: the mind and consciousness, mind over matter, and altered consciousness. The first section discusses ways to study the brain and provides a working definition of consciousness. According to Kaku, "consciousness is the process of creating a model of the world using multiple feedback loops in various parameters (e.g., in temperature, space, time, and in relation to others), in order to accomplish a goal (e.g., find mates, food, shelter)." There are various levels of consciousness, with animals less able to model the world (in particular, the future), than humans. Having established this, Kaku then goes on to discuss scientifically valid ways in which telepathy, telekinesis, memory creation/manipulation, and intelligence enhancement can be accomplished. Finally, he covers even more exotic subjects such as mind control, artificial minds, minds made of energy, and alien minds. There is also an appendix on quantum consciousness, which is something I make indirect use of in the Catalyst Chronicles. Alas, Paul's and Julia's Catalyst abilities aren't considered scientifically plausible, though I can't change them at this point in the series.

Kaku provides clear explanations for how the various therapies and enhancements might work, and he does touch on some of the legal and ethical questions that might arise from them. I don't think he works through the implications of all his topics equally. For instance, he mentions that a mind without outside stimulation (for example, a mind duplicated on a computer) would eventually go insane. However, this doesn't seem to be an issue for energy minds. Perhaps this is meant as an exercise for the science fiction writer. He also talks about what characteristics might give rise to an alien intelligence. For example, he mentions that predator species tend to be more intelligent than prey species. I admit I feel a bit challenged to come up with an intelligent prey species, perhaps one that had to evolve to keep up with its predator. (The Sparrow might be a good example of a dual alien race society.) All in all, however, I recommend this book to any science fiction writer interested in learning how our minds, robots, aliens, or any type of intelligence might evolve or by affected by technology.

Facts for Fiction: The Geography of Nowhere

Since I read so much nonfiction, I'm starting a new blog feature called Facts for Fiction. It'll be about the nonfiction books I read and how they could be useful for writing. I'm not sure how frequently I'll run this feature; it'll depend on how often I read a book that's worth discussing.

The book that inspired this feature is called The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Escape. (It's by James Howard Kunstler.) I originally thought it was going to focus on suburbs and the psychological and social effects they have on their residents. Instead, this book is more about architecture, landscape design, and cars. The author's premise is that the promotion of the private car over public transport has not only encouraged the development of the suburbs but resulted in boring buildings and less space devoted to civic and public buildings. Our environment has been designed for cars, not people. Kunstler complains that big businesses build without considering local communities. Although he discusses quality in a way that reminds me of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, his ranty tone can be a bit off-putting at times. Still, I did find this book useful for its ideas on how to design cities for comfort--or lack of comfort. He recommends mixed-use communities that have residents of different classes, a unified style, and transitions from public to private areas. (Some of these things, such as mixed-use, are actually against the law in many areas, which only serves to keep us dependent on driving to the store for a gallon of milk. This may not be sustainable in the long run.) Still, most of this book focuses on the negative, so perhaps it might be more useful if you're planning to write a dystopia.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think of it? What do you think of American cities and suburbs?